Best Smart Displays of 2025

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.
Buy the smart display that uses the same voice assistant you are already using to ensure seamless integration.
Smart displays come in many different sizes, so be sure to get the one that best matches your primary use.
Some smart displays can be wall mounted to free up counter or table space, others can't so the larger models will take up more room on table.
There are many smart devices on the market that can enhance your home, such as smart speakers, security cameras or light bulbs, transforming your comfy home into something comfier and smarter. But controlling everything can be a little daunting, which is why a smart display is a good investment. Plus, the displays themselves also have unique and useful features that can work on their own.
There are plenty of displays to choose from: big players like Google and Amazon dominate the market, with each releasing numerous generations of gadgets -- each better than the last -- that have made them favorite smart display choices for many.
Most recently, we've seen the Amazon Echo Show 8 and the Amazon Echo Hub, with the Echo Hub adding simplicity to controlling the smart home. Google has the Google Nest Hub (formerly the Google Home Hub) as well as the Nest Hub Max, which adds face- and gesture-tracking capabilities along with a larger screen. You can also check out the Google Pixel Tab, which doubles as a smart home display and Android tablet.
However, to identify the best, CNET's experts tested and reviewed smart displays for the home. We worked with a collection of smart devices, watched videos, set alarm clocks and more. Whether you want to add a smart display to your existing setup or are just starting your smart home and find the touchscreen appealing, here are the best models available. We'll update this list periodically.
Watch this: Google Nest Hub (2nd gen): Sleep sensing from a smart display
Whether you want to add a smart display to your existing setup or you're just starting your smart home and you find the touchscreen appealing, here are the best models available now. We'll update this list periodically.
Best smart home displaysFor a long time, the Nest Hub occupied pride of place on this list, thanks to its photo display aesthetic, pleasant user interface and more naturalistic voice assistant. It lacks the built-in camera for easy video calls found on the Echo Show 8. Add that to Amazon Alexa's growing smarts, and the Show 8 has been upgraded to share the "best display" honor with the Nest Hub. Both are great smart displays.
With the Show 8, Alexa will respond to your voice control and voice commands, plus you can use the tablet screen to play games, browse recipes, watch movies and Prime Video trailers, control your smart home and more. The 8-inch touchscreen is small enough to stay out of the way but big enough that you won't have to squint. In the mornings, Amazon's sunrise alarm feature can help ease you out of your sleep with a screen that starts getting brighter 15 minutes before your scheduled wake-up time. The camera also comes with a physical shutter for privacy.
Google Assistant still makes better use of the touchscreen than Amazon -- in particular, the cooking directions and smart home controls are better -- but the Echo Show 8 is close enough, and it comes with a camera for video chats. In short, the Show 8 is Amazon's best smart display yet.
If you want a 10-inch touchscreen powered by Alexa, the third-generation Amazon Echo Show 10 is the latest and greatest in smart display technology. With a motorized base, the Echo Show 10 can follow you around the room during video calls or while you're watching video content on the device. The 10.1-inch tablet HD display looks good, and the device comes with a 13-megapixel front-facing camera, plus a physical shutter for privacy. Amazon also added adaptive color to this Echo device model.
You can use the Echo Show 10 as a smart home security camera and view it remotely in the Alexa app. Group video calling is supported for up to seven people, and Drop In lets you make a call directly to your display from anywhere with the Alexa app. Occupancy and vacancy-based routines can trigger other smart home devices when the Echo Show 10 senses someone entering or leaving the room.
This Alexa device is Amazon's priciest smart home hub display and the most feature-filled smart screen. We think most people will still get by just fine with the Echo Show 8 for considerably less money, but if you're after Amazon's boldest smart display yet with the impressive sound to go with it, this is the way to go. That room-filling sound comes from 2x 1-inch tweeters and a 3-inch woofer to ensure that the audio from the Echo Show 10 is just as elevated as the display itself.
For many years, the Echo Show 10 has been Amazon's largest smart display, but in December 2021, we got the Echo Show 15. This 15.1-inch smart display brings everything that you'd expect from the rest of the Echo Show lineup and allows for more screen room, better entertainment options and the flexibility to mount the screen on your wall.
Though users could access many of the best streaming services, like Prime Video and Netflix, on the Show 15 from the start, in September 2022, Amazon brought the full Fire TV interface to the smart display, making it an even better multimedia device. However, due to the device's thinness and rear-firing speakers, audio is a bit of a letdown on the Echo Show 15. Thankfully, you can group speakers together to improve the audio if you have more than one Echo device.
Adding another way to take advantage of the extra large screen real estate, Amazon first introduced Widgets with the Echo Show 15. This feature lets you put small customizable interactive blocks of the things you want to see right on the home screen. I keep my shopping list, a calendar with upcoming events, my favorite smart devices and a weather widget on my device. This makes quickly glancing at information really easy as it is all up front for me.
The Amazon Echo Hub is truly a smart display because though it does have speakers, you likely won't use them for a party. Instead, the 8-inch display is designed to be a central control point for managing your favorite Alexa smart devices. The easy-to-navigate dashboard allows you to control individual devices or an entire room. This device has been great in my home, with my wife and children less familiar with everything that is set up in our home. This way there's a simple way to see what smart devices are available.
In addition to being a smart home management device, it also functions as an Alexa speaker, allowing you to use voice commands to do everything else you'd expect from a typical smart speaker. The Echo Hub can even be a digital photo frame to show all your favorite memories. But thanks to sensors on the device's front, as you approach it, the screen will show you smart home devices and be ready to help you out.
Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) | Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd gen) | Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd gen) | Amazon Echo Show 15 | Amazon Echo Hub | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Regular Price | $100 (£90, AU$149) | $150 (£119, ~AU$232) | $250 (£135, AU$259) | $300 (£240, AU$399) | $180 (£170, AU$329) |
Screen Size | 7-inch (177.8 mm) | 8-inch (203.2 mm) | 10.1-inch (256.5 mm) | 15.1-inch (383.5 mm) | 8-inch (203.2 mm) |
Dimensions (WxHxD) | 7.00 x 4.70 x 2.70 inches (177.4 x 120.4 x 69.5 mm) | 7.9 x 5.5 x 4.2 inches (200.7 x 139.0 x 106.0 mm) | 9.9 x 9.0 x 6.7 inches (251.46 x 228.60 x 170.18 mm) | 15.8 x 9.9 x 1.4 inches (402 mm x 252 mm x 35 mm) | 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches (202 mm x 137mm x 15mm)" |
Wireless Connectivity | Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 | Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth | Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth | Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth | Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth |
Voice Assistant | Google Assistant | Alexa | Alexa | Alexa | Alexa |
Calling and Messaging | Direct dial (US only), audio calls with Google Duo | Alexa Messaging, Skype, direct dial (US and Mexico) | Direct dial, Group calling with Alexa, Zoom, Skype | Direct dial, Group calling with Alexa, Zoom, Skype | Group calling with Alexa |
Smart kitchen features | Step-by-step recipe assistance with YouTube tutorial videos | Food Network GO; Step-by-step recipe assistance; Amazon Meal Kits integration | Food Network Kitchen; Step-by-step recipe assistance; Amazon Meal Kits integration | Food Network Kitchen; Step-by-step recipe assistance; Amazon Meal Kits integration | Food Network Kitchen; Step-by-step recipe assistance; Amazon Meal Kits integration |
On-screen smart home controls | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Built-in Camera | No | Yes (13MP) | Yes (13MP) | Yes (5MP) | No |
Privacy Shutter | n/a | Yes | Yes | Yes | n/a |
Microphones | 3-mic array | 2-mic array | 2-mic array | 2-mic array | 3-mic array |
Speakers | Full-range speaker with 1.7-inch (43.5 mm) driver | 2x full range 2-inch 10W speakers | 2x 1-inch tweeters, 3-inch woofer | 2x full range 1.6-inch | Dual speakers |
Streaming Music Services | iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music | Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, Apple Music | Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, Apple Music | Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, Apple Music | Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, Apple Music |
Streaming Video Services | YouTube, YouTube TV, Google Play Movies, CBS All Access, HBO Now, Hulu, Disney+, Netflix | Amazon Prime Video, NBC, Vivo, Hulu, Netflix | Amazon Prime Video, NBC, Vivo, Hulu, Netflix | Amazon Prime Video, NBC, Vivo, Hulu, Netflix | Amazon Prime Video, NBC, Vivo, Hulu, Netflix |
Compatible smart home cameras | D-Link, EZVIZ, Nest Cam, Netgear Arlo, Skybell Video Doorbell, Smartcam, Swann, TP-Link Kasa Cam, Vivitar | Amazon Cloud Cam, Amcrest, August Doorbell Cam, Blink, Canary, D-Link, EZVIZ, Logitech Circle, meShare, Nest Cam, Netgear Arlo, Ring Video Doorbell, Toucan, TP-Link Kasa Cam, Wyze Cam, Zmodo | Amazon Cloud Cam, Amcrest, August Doorbell Cam, Blink, Canary, D-Link, EZVIZ, Logitech Circle, meShare, Nest Cam, Netgear Arlo, Ring Video Doorbell, Toucan, TP-Link Kasa Cam, Wyze Cam, Zmodo | Amazon Cloud Cam, Amcrest, August Doorbell Cam, Blink, Canary, D-Link, EZVIZ, Logitech Circle, meShare, Nest Cam, Netgear Arlo, Ring Video Doorbell, Toucan, TP-Link Kasa Cam, Wyze Cam, Zmodo | Amazon Cloud Cam, Amcrest, August Doorbell Cam, Blink, Canary, D-Link, EZVIZ, Logitech Circle, meShare, Nest Cam, Netgear Arlo, Ring Video Doorbell, Toucan, TP-Link Kasa Cam, Wyze Cam, Zmodo |
Other notable features | Ambient EQ automatic adaptive screen brightness; Digital picture frame via Google Photos with Live Albums; Live TV with YouTube TV; Sleep Sensing and Quick Gestures; Digital Wellbeing mode for parental restrictions and downtime hours | Sunrise alarms; Customizable clock faces; Customizable alarm tones; YouTube access via Silk or Firefox browsers | Zigbee hub; Adaptive color and brightness; 360 rotating screen with motion tracking; YouTube via Silk or Firefox browsers; Sunrise alarms; Customizable alarms; Customizable motion settings | Visual ID, Wall mountable, FireTV built-in, Energy dashboard, Low-power mode, Widgets | Zigbee hub, Advanced smart home controls, Wall mountable |
Color options | Charcoal, Mist, Chalk, Sand | Charcoal, Sandstone | Charcoal, Glacier White | White and black | White |
cnet